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Acute appendicitis (AA) patients who present with a significantly increased level of D-dimer is not common. We speculated that the increase of D-dimer level was a result of pylephlebitis complication in the appendicitis patient. A 34-year-old man presented to the emergency department with sudden onset of lower quadrant abdomen pain. He was diagnosed with AA and scheduled for a laparoscopic appendectomy. He had a blood pressure of 80-90/30-40 mmHg, heart rate of 120-130/min, and his temperature was 38.3 °C. Routine blood test demonstrated a significantly elevated D-dimer (14,037 µg/L) with a negative blood gas test, normal ultrasound of the lower limbs, and normal pulmonary and abdominal computer tomography angiography (CTA) scans. Further tests showed a two-fold increase in D-dimer and abnormal hepatic function, indicating pylephlebitis, a rare but serious complication of AA. The patient was subjected to laparoscopic appendectomy, removing the cause of pylephlebitis, and received intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics for an additional 1 week. The patient had clinical improvement with almost complete normalization of his D-dimer, white blood cell (WBC), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), fibrin degradation product (FDP) and platelet (PLT) levels. The patient was fully recovered and discharged from the hospital without any complications. Pylephlebitis secondary to AA is rare and can be easily missed. The unusual increase of D-dimer level provided critical value for pylephlebitis diagnosis.

Introduction Angiosarcoma is a malignant tumor with low incidence. Especially in the advanced tumors, there is still a lack of knowledge of evidence-based medicine. Case presentation We report a case of a 55-year-old woman with abdominal pain of 2 months of duration, which had increased in severity for 2 weeks prior to the presentation. The diagnosis is primary gastric angiosarcoma. We performed multiple disciplinary team (MDT), and doxorubicin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) was proposed. After two cycles of NAC, a computed tomography (CT) scan showed complete regression compared with the previous scan. An open surgery was done, and surgical specimens were confirmed as a pathological complete response (PCR) by pathological and immunohistochemical examination, but unfortunately, the patient suffered a relapse after the surgery in 3 months. Conclusion Repeated endoscopic biopsy and biopsy specimen examinations can improve accuracy in diagnosis. It seems that NAC could be a candidate for advanced primary gastric angiosarcomas. But after the rapid relapse, we are wondering whether pathologic complete response is the surrogate in primary gastric angiosarcoma undergoing NAC.

Background Competing risk method has not been used in a large-scale prospective study to investigate whether increased levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) elevate the risk of primary liver cancer (PLC). Our study aims to prospectively investigate the relationship between hs-CRP and new-onset PLC. Methods and results Ninety-five thousand seven hundred fifty-nine participants without the diagnosis of PLC, and who had their demographic characteristics and biochemical parameters recorded, were analyzed from the Kailuan Cohort study. Cox proportional hazards regression models and competing risk regression models were used to evaluate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of PLC. During a median follow-up of 11.07 years, 357 incidental PLC cases were identified over a total of 1,035,039 person-years. The multivariable HRs (95%CI) for the association of hs-CRP of 1–3 mg/L group and hs-CRP>3 mg/L with PLC were 1.07(0.82 ~ 1.38), 1.51(1.15 ~ 1.98) in a Cox proportional hazard regression analysis adjusted for other potential confounders. In the cause-specific hazard model, the multivariable HRs (95%CI) for the association of hs-CRP of 1–3 mg/L group and hs-CRP>3 mg/L with PLC were 1.06(0.81 ~ 1.40), 1.50(1.14 ~ 1.99). Similar results were also observed in the sub-distribution hazard function model with corresponding multivariate HRs (95%CI) of 1.05(0.80 ~ 1.40), 1.49(1.13 ~ 1.98) in hs-CRP of 1–3 mg/L group and hs-CRP>3 mg/L group, respectively. Conclusions This prospective study found a significant association of higher levels of hs-CRP with new-onset PLC. The main clinical implications would be an increased awareness of hs-CRP and its correlation to the risk of PLC. This study should be a steppingstone to further research on chronic inflammation and PLC. Trial registration Registration number:ChiCTR–TNRC–11001489.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text, Background Intravertebral and general anesthesia (GA) are two main anesthesia approaches but both have defects. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of subarachnoid anesthesia combined with propofol target-controlled infusion (TCI) on blood loss and transfusion for total hip arthroplasty (THA) in elderly patients in comparison with combined spinal-epidural anesthesia (CSEA) or GA. Methods Totally, 240 patients (aged ≥65 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] I–III) scheduled for posterior THA were enrolled from September 1st, 2017 to March 1st, 2018. All cases were randomly divided into three groups to receive CSEA (group C, n = 80), GA (group G, n = 80), or subarachnoid anesthesia and propofol TCI (group T, n = 80), respectively. Primary outcomes measured were intra-operative blood loss, autologous and allogeneic blood transfusion, mean arterial pressure at different time points, length of stay in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), length of hospital stay, and patient satisfaction degree. Furthermore, post-operative pain scores and complications were also observed. The difference of quantitative index between groups were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, repeated measurement generalized linear model, Student-Newman-Keuls test or rank-sum test, while ratio index was analyzed by Chi-square test or Fisher exact test. Results Basic characteristics were comparable among the three groups. Intra-operative blood loss in group T (331.53 ± 64.33 mL) and group G (308.03 ± 64.90 mL) were significantly less than group C (455.40 ± 120.48 mL, F = 65.80, P

The importance of size reduction to the commercial deployment of biomass utilization technologies cannot be overemphasized. Size reduction is necessary to create good flowing, easily digestible lig...

In this Letter, a metasurface combined with emerging 3D printing technology is proposed. The proposed metasurface regards the simple cube as the unit cell, and the height of the cube is the only variable. A nearly linear transmission phase range covering 360° operating at 20 GHz is obtained when the height is regulated in [2.26 mm, 11.20 mm]. Therefore, the proposed unit cell can be adopted to any metasurface with various functions. Taking the generation of a non-diffractive Bessel beam as an example, two metasurfaces composed of 30 × 30 units with different focusing directions are designed based on non-diffractive theory and the generalized law of refraction. Two prototypes are 3D printed and measured by a near-field scanning system. The measured results validate our design with satisfactory focusing and beam deflection performance. Additionally, the 3D printed metasurface has lower cost and a shorter processing cycle, and avoids metal loss. Therefore, a 3D printed metasurface is an excellent candidate that can be applied in millimeter wave or even higher frequency bands.

In free-space optical (FSO) communications, the orbital angular momentum (OAM) multiplexing/demultiplexing of Bessel beams perturbed by atmospheric turbulence is of great significance. We used the Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm without a beacon beam to compensate for the aberrant helical phase of the Bessel beam distorted by the turbulent atmosphere. The optical vortex Dammann axicon grating was applied for the simultaneous measurement of the intensities of the demodulated spectra of the OAM modes of the Bessel beams disturbed by atmospheric turbulence. The experimental results demonstrate that the distorted phase of the Bessel beam can be compensated and the mode purity of the target OAM mode is enhanced from 0.85 to 0.92 in case of weak turbulence. Our results will improve the quality of the OAM modes of Bessel beam (de)multiplexing in FSO communication systems.

A novel type of superimposed Hermite-Gaussian correlated Schell-model (SHGCSM) laser beam is first represented in terms of theory and then produced experimentally. Similar to a Hermite-Gaussian correlated Schell-model (HGCSM) beam, the SHGCSM beam demonstrates self-splitting features when it propagates in free space, over time the primary single beam spot that is initially seen gradually develops into four or two beam spots when it is in the far-field. The SHGCSM beam splits itself faster than the HGCSM beam when the other beam parameters are fixed, which has lower intensity at the center of beam at an intermediate distance. The four or two spots are more independent with each other, which can be used in attacking multiple targets. Compared with the propagation M2-factor of the HGCSM [Opt. Express 23, 10 (2015)], it has a lower propagation M2-factor in the non-Kolmogorov turbulence. The SHGCSM beam is unaltered to a lesser extent by turbulence compared with a HGCSM beam, which is beneficial for studies on atmospheric optical communications.

Tight sandstone gas (hereafter “tight gas”) has become a subject of unconventional gas exploration globally. The large-scale development and use of tight gas resources in the USA, in particular, facilitated the rapid rebound of natural gas production in the USA, in addition to driving the rapid development of tight gas worldwide. In the eastern Ordos Basin, the Upper Paleozoic feature includes multiple layers of gas, a shallow depth, and notable potential for exploration and development. However, the reservoirs in the area are relatively tight, exhibit strong heterogeneity, and possess a complex micropore structure, thus restricting the effective economic development of oil and gas. Thus, research on the primary parameters controlling pore throat structure and the seepage capability of low-permeability reservoirs will be beneficial for the efficient exploration and development of natural gas in the eastern Ordos Basin. The parameters of reservoir porosity and percolation ability, as well as permeability, were analyzed using systematic sampling of the of the Upper Paleozoic Benxi, Taiyuan, and Shanxi Formations in the eastern Ordos Basin, constant-rate mercury injection experiments, nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, and gas–water-phase experimental studies. The results indicate that reservoir porosity is controlled by the effective pore volume and number, whereas permeability is controlled by the largest throat radius, rather than the average. The effective pore volume controls the movable fluid saturation, while reservoir percolation capability is controlled by the effective pore volume, irreducible water saturation, and size of the gas–water two-phase seepage zone.

BackgroundData are lacking about the extent of drug-related problems in hospitalized patients with COPD in China.ObjectiveIdentify types and causes of drug-related problems and assess interventions performed by pharmacists.SettingStudy was conducted in an academic teaching hospital in Shanghai, China.MethodBetween June 2017 and July 2018, 393 patients admitted to hospital for acute exacerbation of COPD hospitalized were enrolled. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics were collected. The drug-related problems and interventions were recorded and analyzed based on the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE)-DRP V 8.02 classification.Main outcome measuresThe number, types, causes, interventions, and outcomes of the problems were analyzed.ResultsA total of 640 DRPs, with 763 corresponding causes, were identified for 393 patients. “Treatment safety P2” was the most common type of problem (54.2%; 347/640), and the most common causes were “drug selection C1” (24.2%; 185/763), “dose selection C3” (21.5%; 164/763) and “treatment duration C4” (17.7%; 135/763). Antibiotics, corticosteroids, and proton pump inhibitors were the three primary medication classes associated with DRPs. Patients, hospitalized for more than eight days, taking ten or more drugs or having renal dysfunctions were more likely to have drug-related problems. Pharmacists totally proposed 1557 interventions to address the problems. Most interventions (91.0%; 1418/1557) were accepted, and 91.6% of the problems were solved.ConclusionThe prevalence of drug-related problems among the studied COPD patients was high. Pharmacists can have an important role in addressing the problems and optimizing the safety and effectiveness of therapies for hospitalized COPD patients.

Buried pipelines, such as water supply and power transmission systems, play a vital role in daily life. Seismic resistance of the pipeline systems is a very important research topic because...

Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes hospitalizations and mortality worldwide, there are no approved neuroprotective treatments, partly due to a poor understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying TBI neuropathology and neuroprotection. We previously reported that the administration of low-dose methamphetamine (MA) induced significant functional/cognitive improvements following severe TBI in rats. We further demonstrated that MA mediates neuroprotection in part, via dopamine-dependent activation of the PI3K-AKT pathway. Here, we further investigated the proteomic changes within the rat cortex and hippocampus following mild TBI (TM), severe TBI (TS), or severe TBI plus MA treatment (TSm) compared to sham operated controls. We identified 402 and 801 altered proteins (APs) with high confidence in cortical and hippocampal tissues, respectively. The overall profile of APs observed in TSm rats more closely resembled those seen in TM rather than TS rats. Pathway analysis suggested beneficial roles for acute signaling through IL-6, TGFβ, and IL-1β. Moreover, changes in fibrinogen levels observed in TSm rats suggested a potential role for these proteins in reducing/preventing TBI-induced coagulopathies. These data facilitate further investigations to identify specific pathways and proteins that may serve as key targets for the development of neuroprotective therapies.

Efforts to treat chronic diseases are often obstructed by the complexity of the biological mechanisms supporting pathology. Here, we apply a novel method for discrete logical modeling of biological systems to the problem of infectious exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), using data from human clinical studies to constrain the selection of decisional logic parameters. We obtained two candidate models satisfactorily adhering to the available data. A predicted resting state with no activation of inflammatory markers was supported natively in one model, and could be induced following onset of an exacerbation episode in either model by applying targeted suppression of IL-4 concurrently with at least one additional inflammatory marker including IL-IB. Recapitulating a failed clinical trial of anakinra, suppression of IL-IB alone was not predicted to be sufficient. Instead, these results suggest that the efficacy of IL-IB suppression in the treatment of COPD might be improved by the added concurrent suppression of IL-4 and CCL4 or IL-4 and IL-17A.

ObjectivesGallstone disease (GSD) can be caused by various health and clinical factors such as obesity, dyslipidaemia and an unhealthy diet, all of which are associated with higher high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentrations. Whether hs-CRP represents an independent risk factor for GSD is still unclear. We prospectively investigated hs-CRP in relation to the occurrence of GSD based on the Kailuan study.Study designProspective cohort study.SettingThe Kailuan cohort study was conducted in Tangshan City in northern China.Participants95 319 participants who were free from GSD were recruited in this study. Epidemiological data, anthropometric parameters and biochemical data of participants were collected.Primary and secondary outcome measuresCox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the association between hs-CRP concentrations and the risk of GSD after adjustments for potential confounders.ResultsDuring the mean 7.58 years of follow-up among 95 319 participants, 4205 participants were identified as newly diagnosed with GSD or having undergone cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis. Compared with the hs-CRP3 mg/L group, respectively. The multivariate model which included hs-CRP not only had a better line of fitness but also had better predictive values to help identify new cases of GSD during follow-up.ConclusionElevated hs-CRP concentration is an independent risk factor for new-onset GSD among the Chinese population.Trial registration numberChiCTR-TNC-11001489.

In this paper, we discuss, both analytically and numerically, the paraxial propagation of the radially polarized Laguerre–Gaussian-correlated Schell-model (LGCSM) beams orthogonal to the optical axis in uniaxial crystals. The analytical expression for the cross-spectral density function and the second-order moments of the radially polarized LGCSM beams are derived, and the evolution properties of the normalized intensity distribution, the spectral degree of the coherence (SDOC), and the spectral degree of the polarization (SDOP) in uniaxial crystals are elucidated by numerical examples. It is found that the intensity distribution of the radially polarized LGCSM beams evolves from a doughnut shape into a solid shape and finally converts into an elliptical symmetric hollow-ring profile in uniaxial crystals due to the combined effect of special correlation functions and the anisotropy effect of the uniaxial crystals. The evolution of the SDOC and SDOP for the radially polarized LGCSM beams is quite different from that of the radially polarized Gaussian–Schell-model beams. In addition, the propagation properties of the radially polarized LGCSM beams are closely related to the spatial coherence length, the mode order, and the ratio of extraordinary and ordinary reflective indices. The results show that the uniaxial crystals could modulate the evolution properties of the radially polarized LGCSM beams.

Adjuvant therapy including chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and radiotherapy were often used as a common stereotypy for female stage IV breast cancer rather than surgery. This study aimed to define the role of local surgery in metastatic breast cancer. Female metastatic breast cancer patients were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program data (2010-2013). We compared survival time between patients who received primary tumor removal (PTR) versus those who did not. Multivariate Cox regression models and competitive risk models were built to adjust potential confounders. Of 7669 female stage IV breast cancer patients, 2704 (35.3%) had surgery on their breast tumor and 4965 (64.7%) did not. In the entire cohort, women who underwent PTR had a 45% reduced risk of breast cancer-related death (multi-adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.55; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.60) compared with women who did not undergo PTR (P 0.001). In a cause-specific hazard model (CS model), the multivariable HRs (95% CI) for the association of PTR with breast cancer related-death were 0.54 (0.50-0.60) in the multivariate-adjusted analysis. Similar results were also observed in the sub-distribution hazard function model (SD model) with corresponding multivariate HRs (95%CI) of 0.57 (0.52-0.63). Our study suggested that PTR was associated with improved survival in female stage IV breast cancer patients. The role of PTR in these patients needs to be re-evaluated.

Based on the masonry structures in Shanghai adjacent to the subway, this paper sets up a detailed numerical model. Measured vibration acceleration serves as the input excitation, and the parameters of the model were calibrated by the measured vibration response. Through numerical analysis, it is studied that metro train-induced vibrations and their influences on existing masonry building from two aspects—one is the vibration level changing with the story height, and the other is the vibration level changing at all the rooms on one floor—the different slab properties, different room size, and other factors affected vibration response distribution. In the precast slab room, the vertical vibration arrangement is greater than that in the cast in situ floor slab room. Vertical vibration at the ash between the precast slabs had a certain amplification effect; the room depth parameters had a small effect on the vibration intensity. The width of the room has a significant effect on the vertical vibration.

Based on the residential buildings adjacent to the metro line in Shanghai, the self-vibration frequency of cast-in-place and prefabricated boards was calculated with the energy method and a numerical model was validated with the finite element method. Results show that the self-vibration frequency of different support slabs calculated by theoretical calculation is approximately similar to that by the numerical simulation, which proves the correctness of the results obtained from the theoretical formula. And according to the analysis results of the self-vibration frequency of different supports, whether the floor vibration caused by people’s discomfort really originates from the urban traffic vibration is verified. Calculation and the verification method of the self-vibration frequency of different supports can provide the basis for the vibration control and vibration isolation of the floor.

An automotive rear axle is composed of a set of hypoid gears, whose contact surfaces experience a complex combination of rolling contact fatigue damage and sliding wear. Full-scale rear axle dynamometer tests are used in the industry for efficiency and durability assessment. This study developed a bench-scale rolling-sliding test protocol by simulating the contact pressure, oil temperature, and lubrication regime experienced in a dynamometer duty cycle test. Initial bench results have demonstrated the ability of generating both rolling contact-induced micropitting and sliding wear and the feasibility of investigating the impact of slide-to-roll ratio, surface roughness, test duration, and oil temperature on the friction behavior, vibration noise, and surface damage. This bench test will allow studying candidate rear axle lubricants and materials under relevant conditions.

Myricetin is a flavonoids compound extracted from edible myrica rubra. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Myricetin on colonic chronic inflammation and inflammation-driven tumorigenesis in mice. Myricetin was administrated by gavage for 4 consecutive weeks. Mice were sacrificed and the number of colonic polyps was counted. Myricetin significantly inhibited AOM/DSS-induced colitis and colorectal tumorigenesis. Myricetin prevented the incidence of colorectal tumorigenesis and reduced the size of colorectal polyps. Histopathologic analysis showed that Myricetin could attenuate the degree of colonic inflammation and colorectal tumorigenesis. Further analysis showed that Myricetin strongly reduced the levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, NF-κB, p-NF-κB, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), PCNA and Cyclin D1 in the colonic tissues as analyzed by the assays of immunohistochemical staining, Western blotting and Q-RT-PCR. Our results demonstrated that Myricetin possesses the biological activities of chemoprevention colonic chronic inflammation and inflammation-driven tumorigenesis. We suggest that Myricetin could be developed as a promising chemopreventive drug for reducing the risk of colorectal cancer.

Optical fiber displacement sensor has the advantages of high sensitivity, large dynamic range, long sensing distance and high electromagnetic interference resistance, which has been widely used in many industrial and civil fields. However, multi-parameter simultaneous sensing is the common requirement in many applications. In this paper, we demonstrated a novel and simple optical fiber displacement sensor based on the principle of Stokes Raman backscattering, and the Stokes Raman signal is used to sense the bending loss of the sensing fiber. An optical fiber displacement sensing system and a recoverable displacement sensor is designed and built to measure the optical power loss, which makes it possible to detect the temperature and displacement simultaneously use one optical fiber. The displacement measurement is carried out for five times at 0.25 mm intervals in the range of 0–5 mm, and the experimental results show that there is a good linearity between measured and applied displacement. Its measurement accuracy is 0.1 mm and maximum sensitivity is 0.343 dB/mm. This sensor has the potential to be applied in foundation settlement monitoring, safety pre-warning of subway on-site, soil deformation measurement, and civil structure crack monitoring.

// Xi Liu 1, 3, * , Lu Chen 1, * , Hai Huang 1, 3, * , Jian-Min Lv 1, * , Ming Chen 3 , Fa-Jun Qu 2 , Xiu-Wu Pan 2 , Lin Li 2 , Lei Yin 3 , Xin-Gang Cui 2 , Yi Gao 1 and Dan-Feng Xu 1 1 Department of Urinary Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China 2 Department of Urinary Surgery, Third Affiliated Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 201805, China 3 Department of Urinary Surgery, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Xin-Gang Cui, email: xingangcui@126.com Yi Gao, email: gaoyismmu@163.com Dan-Feng Xu, email: danfengxu_urology@163.com Keywords: PDLIM5; epithelial-mesenchymal transition; prostate cancer; migration; AMPK Received: July 13, 2017 Accepted: August 27, 2017 Published: September 18, 2017 ABSTRACT PDZ and LIM domain 5 (PDLIM5) is a cytoskeleton-associated protein and has been shown to bind to a variety of proteins through its specific domain, thereby acting to regulate cell migration and tumor progression. Here, we found that PDLIM5 was abnormally upregulated in prostate cancer (PCa) tissues as compared with that in normal prostate tissue. ONCOMINE microarray data mining showed that PDLIM5 was closely correlated with the prognosis of PCa in terms of Gleason score, tumor metastasis and biochemical recurrence. Lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) knockdown of PDLIM5 inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation, arrested hormone independent PCa cells DU145 and PC-3 in G2/M phase, and induced apoptosis. Meanwhile, silencing PDLIM5 inhibited migration and invasion of tumor cells by reversing the mesenchymal phenotype and a similar result was confirmed in a xenograft nude mouse model. Finally, we found PDLIM5 plays a crucial role in regulating malignant tumor cell proliferation, invasion and migration by binding to AMPK and affecting its activation and degradation, and may therefore prove to be a potential oncogenic gene in the development and progression of PCa.

Recent reports have shown a rapid rise in the incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and Wnt (Wingless-related integration site) signaling pathway is important in RCC. Frizzled 8 (FZD8) is a member of Frizzled (FZD) receptor family which could activate canonical or non-canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathways. Nevertheless, the role of FZD8 in RCC is poorly investigated. The immunohistochemical analysis showed high expression of FZD8 in RCC tissues compared with peri-tumor tissues. FZD8 knockdown decreased the ability of proliferation and metastasis of RCC cells. Research revealed that the FZD8 regulated the transcription of Cyclin D1, c-Myc, and could promote the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) by mediating Vimentin and Snail through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In addition, the results of our experiment revealed that FZD8 is involved in the regulation of non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway. These data suggested that the expression of FZD8 may play an important role in the proliferation and metastasis of RCC, and serve as a putative promising drug target for human RCC therapy.

Summary: In a porcine model of brief ischemia leading to reversible stunning in the absence of tissue necrosis, we demonstrated delayed release of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) that exceeded the 99th percentile for normal animals 60 min after reperfusion and rose to readily detectable levels 24 h later. Although tissue analysis at 60 min showed no evidence of infarction, TUNEL staining demonstrated isolated myocytes undergoing apoptosis, which was absent after 24 h. These results demonstrate that cTnI elevations occur after ischemia of a duration that is insufficient to produce myocyte necrosis and reflect myocyte injury associated with apoptosis in the absence of pathological evidence of infarction. Key Words: cardiac troponin I, cardiomyocyte apoptosis, myocardial ischemia, myocardial stunning

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are important immunocytes associated with cancer metastasis. However, whether TAMs play a dominant role in mediating CXCL12/CXCR4-induced liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unexplored. Herein, we found that CD206+ TAMs, which infiltrated at the invasive front, were correlated with CXCR4 expression and liver metastasis of CRC in clinical specimens. Several miRNAs (miR-25-3p, miR-130b-3p, miR-425-5p), upregulated in CRC cells by activation of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis, could be transferred to macrophages via exosomes. These exosomal miRNAs induced M2 polarization of macrophages by regulating PTEN through activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. In turn, M2 polarized macrophages promoted cancer metastasis by enhancing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and secreting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Co-culture of CRC cells with macrophages transfected with these miRNAs or treated with exosomes enhanced their metastatic capacity both in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, the serum levels of exosomal miR-25-3p, miR-130b-3p and miR-425-5p were correlated with progression and metastasis of CRC. In conclusion, these results reveal a crucial role of exosomal miRNAs in mediating the crosstalk between CXCR4 overexpressing cancer cells and TAMs, providing potential therapeutic targets for circumventing liver metastasis of CRC.

In this paper, we have introduced a new class of partially coherent vector vortex beams, named radially polarized multi-Gaussian Schell-model (MGSM) vortex beam, carrying the vortex phase with tunable topological charges (i.e., both integral and fractional values) as a natural extension of the radially polarized MGSM beam. The tight focusing properties of the radially polarized MGSM vortex beam passing through a high numerical aperture (NA) objective lens are investigated numerically based on the vectorial diffraction theory. Numerical results show that the focal intensity distributions of the radially polarized MGSM vortex beam can be shaped by regulating the structure of the correlation functions and the topological charge of vortex phase. In contrast with the integral vortex beam, the most intriguing property of the fractional vortex beam is that the focal intensity distribution at the focal plane can be nonuniformity and asymmetry, while such unique characteristics will vanish when the spatial coherence length is sufficiently small. Furthermore, some focal fields with novel structure, such as a focal spot with nonuniform asymmetric or an anomalous asymmetric hollow focal field, can be formed by choosing suitable fractional values of topological charge and spatial coherence length. Our results will be useful for optical trapping, especially for trapping of irregular particles or manipulation of absorbing particles.

Virtual reality (VR) is a new technology which can create a virtual world based on computer system, providing users with a 3D immersive simulation environment. And Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology makes it possible for users to communicate and interact with devices without any handle, keyboard or mouse. Combining VR and BCI, this paper proposes and designs a novel platform which is called virtual smart home based on electroencephalograph (EEG) control (VSH-EEG). P300 is an event-related potential (ERP), which can be evoked when random stimulus happens. In VSH-EEG system, the paradigm display of P300 is embedded in the virtual smart home. Users' P300 is extracted, processed and classified by self-adaptive Bayes linear discriminant analysis (SA-BLDA) algorithm. Besides, asynchronous BCI paradigm based on P300 can offer an appropriate number of control instructions and enables users to control the appliances in virtual home freely. In order to test the accuracy and effectiveness of the system, 8 subjects are asked to control the relative objects. Finally, the experiment results show that the VSH-EEG system is acceptable and users can enjoy a new way of entertainment.

In order to explore the impact of traffic environmental microvibration on buildings, this paper studies indoor vibration isolation, a method applicable to existing buildings. The vibration isolation scheme is designed based on the residential buildings adjacent to metro lines in Shanghai. By using the dynamic theory, the effective range of vibration isolation stiffness is analyzed. The effectiveness of the indoor vibration isolation method is verified through theoretical calculations and comparison of field measurements before and after isolation. A detailed numerical model is established to analyze the indoor isolation and the effect after parameter optimization from the slab thickness, filling material, and isolator stiffness. The results show that the isolation effect is proportional to the thickness of the total slab thickness of the isolation system and inversely proportional to the stiffness of the isolator. And when concrete is used as the filling material, the isolation effect is best. The isolation effect of the midspan position is better than that of the wall-floor junction. The vibration isolation effect is more obvious after the parameters are optimized. With its convenient construction technology, short cycle, and low cost, this method is worth promoting.

Optical fiber distributed vibration and temperature sensor are very important for many applications. It is challenging to design a hybrid vibration and temperature sensing system because multi-parameter simultaneous sensing is the common requirement in most applications. In this paper, we demonstrated a novel distributed vibration and temperature simultaneous sensing system using standard optical fiber, which based on Rayleigh and Raman backscattering light. We have performed several temperature and vibration tests under different circumstances. The maximum temperature measurement deviation is 0.6 °C and maximum consistency deviation of three sensing units is 0.9 °C. The continuous vibration signal has been detected by using standard audio signal as the vibration source and the detectable frequency range is 0 Hz–5 kHz. In particular, we have carried simultaneous sensing test, which the vibration and temperature signals are detected successfully by one sensing unit at the same time. This new optical fiber distributed multi-parameter simultaneous sensing system is potentially used in pipeline and power cable for temperature and vibration monitoring.

As the development of machine vision technology, artificial intelligence algorithms are gradually popularized for identifying images. However, traditional KNN algorithm actually costs too much time when classifying images, which is not qualified to actual application scenes. An improved algorithm is proposed in the paper. The test time has been greatly shortened and the efficiency of KNN algorithm is improved by increasing the screening of data sets. By setting STM32F103 as master control and OV7670 as camera, actual detection of volleyball, football, and basketball was carried out after test environment was set up. And the test time is shorter compared with that of general KNN algorithm. At the same time, the identification accuracy is high, which indicates that the method has good practicability.

To investigate the dynamic characteristics of the horizontally encrypted column network spring vibration isolated turbine-generator foundation, according to similarity theory, a 10:1 scale model of the horizontally encrypted column network spring vibration isolated turbine-generator foundation, including two condensers, was tested on site, and the dynamic characteristics of the model are analyzed by excitation method, and the natural frequencies, mode shapes and damping ratio of the integral structure are acquired. This study shows that the first two mode shapes of the turbine-generator foundation are translation and torsion, the high mode shape is accompanied by column-end swing and local distortion; the condenser is more stable in the integral structure; the natural frequency of this foundation is higher than the dual-row column spring vibration isolated turbine-generator foundation, and it is significantly lower than rigid foundation, and the mode shape distribution is different from them.

This study explored the feasibility of using a phosphonium phosphate ionic liquid as a candidate anti-wear and anti-pitting additive for rear axle lubricant. This particular IL was first added to a VHVI8 base oil at 2–3% concentration and demonstrated effective surface protection for wear and micro-cracking under rolling-sliding contacts. The promising results directed to a step further to produce a series of IL-containing low-viscosity (about a half of SAE 75W-90) fully formulated gear oils. Selected IL-containing experimental oils showed superior mitigation of rolling contact fatigue to a commercial SAE 75W-90 gear oil in bench-scale rolling-sliding tests. Full-scale hub dynamometer tests were then conducted and demonstrated more than 3% power output and torque generation for an IL-containing low-viscosity gear oil benchmarked against commercial baselines.

In this paper, we propose a generalized kind of partially coherent vector beams with an off-axis vortex, named partially coherent radially polarized (PCRP) off-axis vortex beam for considering such a case in which laser beam passes through a spiral phase plate (SPP) but slightly deviates from the vortex core due to the experimental misoperation. The influences of such off-axis vortex phase on the focusing properties of the PCRP off-axis vortex beam after passing through a thin lens are theoretically investigated in detailed. It is found that the intensity pattern of the PCRP off-axis vortex beam possesses an additional dark core corresponding to the off-axis position of vortex core in the source plane, while it rotates gradually up to an angle of π ∕ 2 with respect to the initial displacement vector s as propagation distance increases for high spatial coherence, being qualitatively different from that of the on-axis vortex beam. However, such unique characteristics of the PCRP off-axis vortex beam will disappear in the case of a very low coherence. In addition, the vortex-induced changes of polarization start from its off-axis vortex core, which will be useful for the detection of a phase object as well as its vortex position in the application of optical detection technology. More importantly, our results show that, besides the topological charge and coherence length, the off-axis parameters of vortex phase play a great role in modulating the propagation properties, which provides an additional degree of freedom for focus shaping.

The output power of renewable energy has the characteristics of random fluctuation and instability, which has a harmful effect on stability of renewable power grid and causes the problem of low utilisation ratio on renewable energy output power. Thus, this paper proposes a method to predict the output power of renewable energy based on data mining technology. Firstly, the renewable generation power prediction accuracies of three different algorithm, linear regression, decision tree and random forest, are obtained and compared. Secondly, by applying the prediction result to the power dispatch control system, grid-connected renewable power will be consumed by grid-connected load to improve the utilisation ratio of renewable power. A simulation model and experiment platform is established to verify and analyse the prediction usefulness. The experiment shows that the prediction accuracy of the random forest algorithm is the highest. The tendency of renewable energy output power within a period can be calculated by using data mining technology, and the designed experiment platform system can adjust the working state automatically by following the instruction from the data mining result, which can increase the utilisation ratio of renewable energy output power and improve the stability of renewable power grid.

By replacing the two single-photon detectors in HBT experiment with a pair of homodyne detectors, a modified-HBT interferometer was constructed. We introduced the principle and procedure for the measurement of second-order correlation function g(2)(0) of light based on the modified-HBT interferometer. The subtraction of dark noise in the process was discussed in detail for the first time. By recording four permutations of the quadratures with the interferometer and then calculating the correlation, the measurement of second-order correlation function for displaced squeezed light was realized, hence the photon statistics properties were characterized. The behavior of g(2)(0) values was totally interpreted with a viewpoint of two-photon interference, which can provide a good physical image for understanding the photon statistics properties of the squeezed light. This technique based on homodyne detectors may provide another approach for the detection and characterization of nonclassical states in the fields of quantum communication processing and quantum metrology.

// Ye Li 1, * , Shu-Xiang Cui 2, * , Shi-Yue Sun 3 , Wen-Na Shi 3 , Zhi-Yu Song 3 , Shu-Qing Wang 3 , Xin-Feng Yu 3 , Zu-Hua Gao 4 , Xian-Jun Qu 3 1 Department of Pharmacology, School of Chemical Biology & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China 2 Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Department of Toxicology and Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China 3 Department of Pharmacology, Capital Medical University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China 4 Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Xian-Jun Qu, email: quxj@ccmu.edu.cn Zu-Hua Gao, email: zu-hua.gao@mcgill.ca Keywords: myricetin, APC Min/+ mouse model, intestinal adenomatous polyps, Wnt/β-catenin pathway, chronic inflammation Received: December 22, 2015 Accepted: July 26, 2016 Published: August 06, 2016 ABSTRACT Myricetin is a natural dietary flavonoid compound. We evaluated the efficacy of myricetin against intestinal tumorigenesis in adenomatous polyposis coli multiple intestinal neoplasia ( APC Min/+ ) mice. Myricetin was given orally once a day for 12 consecutive weeks. APC Min/+ mice fed with myricetin developed fewer and smaller polyps without any adverse effects. Histopathological analysis showed a decreased number of dysplastic cells and degree of dysplasia in each polyp. Immunohistochemical and western blot analysis revealed that myricetin selectively inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in adenomatous polyps. The effects of myricetin were associated with a modulation the GSK-3β and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. ELISA analysis showed a reduced concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and PGE2 in blood, which were elevated in APC Min/+ mice. The effect of myricetin treatment was more prominent in the adenomatous polyps originating in the colon. Further studies showed that myricetin downregulates the phosphorylated p38 MAPK/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways, which may be the mechanisms for the inhibition of adenomatous polyps by myricetin. Taken together, our data show that myricetin inhibits intestinal tumorigenesis through a collection of biological activities. Given these results, we suggest that myricetin could be used preventatively to reduce the risk of developing colon cancers.

Aims. To identify the range of emotional labour employed by healthcare professionals in a healthcare setting and implications of this for staff and organisations. Background. In a healthcare setting, emotional labour is the act or skill involved in the caring role, in recognizing the emotions of others and in managing our own. Design. A thematic synthesis of qualitative studies which included emotion work theory in their design, employed qualitative methods and were situated in a healthcare setting. The reporting of the review was informed by the ENTREQ framework. Data sources. 6 databases were searched between 1979–2014. Review methods. Studies were included if they were qualitative, employed emotion work theory and were written in English. Papers were appraised and themes identified. Thirteen papers were included. Results. The reviewed studies identified four key themes: (1) The professionalization of emotion and gendered aspects of emotional labour; (2) Intrapersonal aspects of emotional labour – how healthcare workers manage their own emotions in the workplace; (3) Collegial and organisational sources of emotional labour; (4) Support and training needs of professionals Conclusion. This review identified gendered, personal, organisational, collegial and socio-cultural sources of and barriers to emotional labour in healthcare settings. The review highlights the importance of ensuring emotional labour is recognized and valued, ensuring support and supervision is in place to enable staff to cope with the varied emotional demands of their work.

Transparent, flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates were fabricated by metalization of structured polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets. The resultant Ag-coated structured PET SERS substrates were revealed to be highly sensitive with good reproducibility and stability, an enhancement factor of 3 × 10 6 was acquired, which can be attributed mainly to the presence of plentiful multiple-type hot spots within the quasi-three-dimensional surface of the structured PET obtained by oxygen plasma etching. In addition, detections of model molecules on fruit skin were also carried out, demonstrating the great potential of the Ag-coated structured PET in in-situ detection of analyte on irregular objects. Importantly, the technique used for the preparation of such substrate is completely compatible with well-established silicon device technologies, and large-area fabrication with low cost can be readily realized.

This study was designed to investigate the risk of local anesthetic toxicity and efficacy of simultaneous bilateral axillary brachial plexus block performed under the guidance of ultrasound or a neurostimulator. One hundred and twenty patients who were anesthetized with bilateral axillary plexus block simultaneously between February 2012 and March 2014 were enrolled in the study. The patients were anesthetized under the guidance of a neurostimulator (group N, n = 60) or ultrasound (group U, n = 60). The block performance time, procedure-related pain, adverse events, total and free plasma concentrations of ropivacaine, and other data were recorded. The comparison was analyzed statistically. The block performance time, and onset of the sensory and motor block, of group N was longer than that of group U (p

// Shu-Xiang Cui 1 , Wen-Na Shi 2 , Zhi-Yu Song 2 , Shu-Qing Wang 2 , Xin-Feng Yu 2 , Zu-Hua Gao 3 , Xian-Jun Qu 2 1 Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Department of Toxicology and Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China 2 Department of Pharmacology, Capital Medical University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, China 3 Department of Pathology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Correspondence to: Xian-Jun Qu, e-mail: quxj@ccmu.edu.cn Zu-Hua Gao, e-mail: zu-hua.gao@mcgill.ca Keywords: human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Sorafenib, des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP), Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK cascade, Ras/PI3K/Akt/mTOR cascade Received: November 13, 2015 Accepted: April 23, 2016 Published: May 4, 2016 ABSTRACT Despite significant progress, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains an incurable disease, and the overall efficacy of targeted therapy by Sorafenib remains moderate. We hypothesized that DCP (des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin), a prothrombin precursor produced in HCC, might be one of the reasons linked to the low efficacy of Sorafenib. We evaluated the efficacy of Sorafenib in HLE and SK-Hep cells, both of which are known DCP-negative HCC cell lines. In the absence of DCP, Sorafenib effectively inhibited the growth of HCC and induced cancer cell apoptosis. In the presence of DCP, HCC was resistant to Sorafenib-induced inhibition and apoptosis, as determined by in vitro assays and in mice xenografted with HLE cells. Molecular analysis of HLE xenografted-nude mice showed that DCP activates the transduction of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK and Ras/PI3K/Akt/mTOR cascades. DCP might stimulate the formation of compensatory feedback loops in the intricately connected signaling pathways when kinases are targeted by Sorafenib. Our results indicate that DCP antagonizes the inhibitory effects of Sorafenib on HCC through activation of the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK and Ras/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. Taken together, our findings define a DCP-mediated mechanism of inhibition of Sorafenib in HCC, which is critical for targeting therapy in advanced HCC.

Based on the Richards–Wolf vectorial diffraction theory, the tight focusing properties, including the intensity distribution, the degree of polarization and the degree of coherence, of the Laguerre–Gaussian-correlated Schell-model (LGSM) beams through a high-numerical-aperture (NA) focusing system are investigated in detail. It is found that the LGSM beam exhibits some extraordinary focusing properties, which is quite different from that of the GSM beam, and the tight focusing properties are closely related to the initial spatial coherence δg and the mode order n. The LGSM beam can form an elliptical focal spot, a circular focal spot or a doughnut-shaped dark hollow beam at the focal plane by choosing a suitable value of the initial spatial coherence δg, and the central dark size of the dark hollow beam increases with the increase of the mode order n. In addition, the influences of the initial spatial coherence δg and the mode order n on the degree of polarization and the degree of coherence are a...

Arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD)-binding integrins, including αvβ1, αvβ3, αvβ5, αvβ6, αvβ8, α5β1, αIIbβ3, and α8β1, recognize the tripeptide motif RGD in their ligands. RGD-binding integrins are involved in various cell functions, including cell proliferation, survival, differentiation, and motility that are critically important to both health and disease. The diagnostic and therapeutic value of some RGD-binding integrin inhibitors are either clinically proven or at different stages of development. In this review, we first summarized the structure and signaling characteristics of RGD-binding integrins. We then discussed the functions of RGD-binding integrins and their association with human disease. Finally, we recapitulated the research efforts and clinical trials of targeting RGD-binding integrins for the diagnosis and treatment of human disease. This comprehensive review of the current advances in RGD-binding integrins could assist scientists and clinicians in gaining a complete understanding of this group of molecules. It can also contribute to the design of new projects to further advance this field of research and to better apply the research results to benefit patients in clinical practice.

Previous research has revealed a positive relationship between GSD, cholecystectomy and primary liver cancer (PLC). However, previous studies had several limitations including the retrospective design, narrow assessment of potential confounders and lack of competing risk models in time-to-event analyses. We conducted a large prospective cohort study to explore the relationship between GSD, cholecystectomy and PLC. A total of 95,021 participants who had not been diagnosed with PLC previously were enrolled from the Kailuan Cohort study. Demographic characteristics and biochemical parameters were recorded at baseline for all participants. We used Cox regression models and competing risk regression models to evaluate the association of GSD and cholecystectomy with the risk PLC. A total of 306 incidental PLC cases were identified during a median follow-up of 9.05 (8.75-9.22) years per participant. Compared with the normal group, the multivariable HRs (95%CI) for the association of GSD and cholecystectomy with PLC were 1.77 (1.05-2.94), 5.25 (1.95-14.17). In the CS model, the multivariable HRs (95%CI) was 1.76 (1.05-2.94) for the association of GSD and cholecystectomy with PLC and 5.25 (1.95-14.17) for GSD and cholecystectomy. Similar results were also obtained in the SD model with corresponding multivariate HRs (95%CI) of 1.75 (1.01-3.00), 5.22 (1.90-14.07) in the GSD group and cholecystectomy group, respectively. GSD and cholecystectomy were associated with an elevated risk of PLC.Registration number: ChiCTR-TNRC-11001489.

A new kind of partially coherent vector vortex beam, namely, the partially coherent radially polarized (PCRP) beam with multiple off-axis vortices, is introduced, and the average intensity distributions of such vortex beam focused by a thin lens are investigated theoretically. It is novelty that the off-axis vortices will induce the focal intensity redistribution and reconstruction, while this remarkable characteristic will be vanished in the case of a very low coherence. In view of this distinctive feature, a new method has been put forward to shape or modulate the focal intensity distribution by elaborately tailoring the multiple off-axis vortices as well as the coherence length. More importantly, some peculiar focal fields with novel structures, such as bar-shaped, triangle-shaped, square-shaped, and pentagon-shaped hollow profiles or flat-top foci, are obtained. Our results indicate that modulating the multiple off-axis vortices provides an additional degree of freedom for focus shaping.