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Engineering synthetic vaccines is promising for improving the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. One of the major challenges in the development of vaccines is achieving controllable codelivery of an...

Patterning is attractive for nanofabrication, electron devices, and bioengineering. However, achieving the molecular-scale patterns to meet the demands of these fields is challenging. Here, we propose a bubble-template molecular printing concept by introducing the ultrathin liquid film of bubble walls to confine the self-assembly of molecules and achieve ultrahigh-precision assembly up to 12 nanometers corresponding to the critical point toward the Newton black film limit. The disjoining pressure describing the intermolecular interaction could predict the highest precision effectively. The symmetric molecules exhibit better reconfiguration capacity and smaller preaggregates than the asymmetric ones, which are helpful in stabilizing the drainage of foam films and construct high-precision patterns. Our results confirm the robustness of the bubble template to prepare molecular-scale patterns, verify the criticality of molecular symmetry to obtain the ultimate precision, and predict the application potential of high-precision organic patterns in hierarchical self-assembly and high-sensitivity sensors.

Objective To detect the alteration of regulatory B cells (Bregs), follicular helper T cells (Tfh), and regulatory T cells (Tregs) frequencies in patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis. Analyze their association with clinical severity and activity, and explore the effects of different immunotherapies on those immune cell subsets. Methods We enrolled 21 patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis, 22 patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), 14 patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), and 20 healthy controls (HC) in our study. The frequencies of various immune cell subsets were determined using flow cytometry. Results Compared to patients with IIH and HC, the frequencies of CD24hiCD38hi transitional B cells as well as Tregs were significantly lower while the frequency of Tfh was significantly higher in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. The frequency of CD24hiCD38hi transitional B cells was significantly lower in the acute stage than in the recovery stage, and was negatively correlated with the modified Rankin scale (mRS) and the clinical assessment scale for autoimmune encephalitis (CASE). The frequency of CD24hiCD38hi transitional B cells at the last follow-up after rituximab (RTX) treatment was significantly higher than those treated with oral immunosuppressants or untreated. There was no clear difference between anti-NMDAR encephalitis and NMOSD in the above immune cell subsets. Conclusion We suggested that the frequencies of CD24hiCD38hi transitional B cells and Tregs were decreased while the frequency of Tfh was increased in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis. CD24hiCD38hi transitional B cells frequency may be a potential indicator to estimate the disease activity and severity.

We report a case of pendular seesaw nystagmus caused by bitemporal hemianopia; the nystagmus disappeared while in darkness as previously described, but it also disappeared with monocular occlusion, which indicates the pivotal role of binocular vision in the pathogenesis.

The determination of intrinsic chain stiffness of conjugated polymers is challenging, in particular, for scattering techniques because of their strong light absorption and structural instability du...

Pore structures are significant for evaluating shale gas production since they not only control gas capacity but also affect hydraulic fracturing. In this study, we investigated the pore structures...

Objective The primary aim of this study was to describe clinical features of Chinese sporadic Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) caused by rare primary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. Methods We characterized a Chinese patient cohort with rare primary mtDNA mutations at Beijing Tongren Hospital between 2015 and 2018. The clinical features of these patients were retrospectively recorded and analyzed. Results Sixteen patients with LHON who had the selected rare primary mutations, including m.4171C>A (3 patients), m.10197G>A (1 patient), m.14459G>A (4 patients), and m.14502T>C (8 patients), were evaluated. The mean age at disease onset was 15 ± 6 years, and the male to female ratio was 15:1. Of 32 eyes of all patients, 75% (24/32) had a worst Snellen best-corrected visual acuity ≤0.1 (worse than 20/200), while 67% (2/3) who were carrying the m.4171C>A mutation experienced significant visual improvement. In addition, 40% (2/5) of patients with LHON carrying only m.14502T>C mutation had only mild visual impairment. Isolated manifestations of LHON was present in 94% (15/16) of all patients; 1 patient with the m.14459G>A mutation had LHON plus dystonia. Brain MRI T2 short tau inversion recovery sequences demonstrated optic atrophy in 62.5% (10/16); increased T2 signal in the optic nerve was found in 38% (6/16) of patients. The patient with LHON plus dystonia demonstrated optic atrophy and increased T2 signal in basal ganglia. Conclusion Patients with LHON and rare primary mutations have diverse clinical phenotypes. Those with the m.4171C>A mutation are more likely to have a good visual prognosis, while the m.14502T>C mutation may play a synergistic role in disease onset. Increased signal in the optic nerve on MRI is not rare, and this feature should not exclude LHON as the potential cause for optic neuropathy.

RNA replication and transcription machinery is an important drug target for fighting against coronavirus. Non-structure protein nsp8 was proposed harboring primase activity. However, the RNA primer synthesis mechanism of nsp8 is still largely unknown. Here, we purified dimer and tetramer forms of SARS-CoV-2 nsp8. Combined with DLS, SANS and thermo-stability analysis, we found that both dimer and tetramer become loosened and destabilized with decreasing salt concentration, and the dimer form is more stable than the tetramer form. Further investigation showed that nsp8 dimer and tetramer can undergo phase separation but exhibit different phase separation behaviors. nsp8 dimer can form liquid-like droplets in the buffer with a low concentration of NaCl; phase separation of nsp8 tetramer depends on the assistance of RNA. Our findings on different phase separation behaviors of nsp8 dimer and tetramer could provide novel insight into the primer synthesis mechanism in coronavirus and facilitate developing novel therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2.

This study investigated the factors influencing intravenous methylprednisolone pulse (IVMP) therapy for recovering visual acuity in Chinese patients with aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody-seropositive neuromyelitis optica-related optic neuritis (NMO-ON). This retrospective case series included 243 affected eyes of 182 patients (36 male, 146 female) diagnosed with NMO-ON in the Neuro-Ophthalmology Clinic of Beijing Tongren Hospital from September 2012 to September 2020. All patients with AQP4-antibody seropositivity had clinical manifestations of acute ON, excluding other diagnoses and received IVMP treatment at 500 mg/day or 1000 mg/day for 3 days. Primary outcome was the extent of improvement in logMAR visual acuity after IVMP treatment. The therapeutic influences of sex, age, baseline visual acuity, therapeutic intervals, and IVMP dose on acute NMO-ON were analysed. Chi-square tests, Mann–Whitney U-tests, Kruskal–Wallis tests, Spearman’s correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression were used for statistical analysis. Age ranged between 7 and 80 years (median age, 44; interquartile range [IQR], 29–52) years. Among the 243 eyes, the median improvement in logMAR visual acuity was 0.3 (IQR, 0–0.9). Therapeutic efficacy of IVMP was significantly higher in female than in male patients (Z = 2.117, P = 0.034). The treatment effect gradually decreased with increase in age at onset (Rs = 0.157, P = 0.015), and visual improvement was significantly lower in patients aged > 50 years than in those ≤ 50 years (Z = 2.571, P = 0.010). When patients had low visual acuity at onset, improvements were more obvious (rho = − 0.317, P (rho = 0.688, P rho = 0.228, P = 0.001). Dosage of methylprednisolone (1000 mg/day or 500 mg/day) did not significantly influence treatment efficacy (Z = 0.951 P = 0.342). Therefore, IVMP therapy can improve visual acuity in the affected eyes of patients with AQP4 antibody-seropositive NMO-ON with similar effect at 500 mg/day and 1000 mg/day doses. Sex, age at onset, and therapeutic intervals may influence the efficacy of IVMP in patients with NMO-ON.

Due to their accessible lattice oxygen redox (l-OR) at high voltages, Li-rich layered transition metal (TM) oxides have shown promising potential as candidate cathodes for high-energy-density Li-ion batteries. However, this l-OR process is also associated with unusual electrochemical issues such as voltage hysteresis and long-term voltage decay. The structure response mechanism to the l-OR behavior also remains unclear, hindering rational structure optimizations that would enable practical Li-rich cathodes. Here, this study reveals a strong coupling between l-OR and structure dynamic evolutions, as well as their effects on the electrochemical properties. Using the technique of neutron total scattering with pair distribution function analysis and small-angle neutron scattering, this study quantifies the local TM migration and formation of nanopores that accompany the l-OR. These experiments demonstrate the causal relationships among l-OR, the local/nanostructure evolutions, and the unusual electrochemistry. The TM migration triggered by the l-OR can change local oxygen coordination environments, which results in voltage hysteresis. Coupled with formed oxygen vacancies, it will accelerate the formation of nanopores, inducing a phase transition, and leading to irreversible capacity and long-cycling voltage fade.

Many commercially and industrially important materials aggregate to form nanoscale mass-fractal structures. Unlike hard aggregates such as fumed silica, aqueous pigment-based inks consist of weakly bound nanoparticles stabilized by a surfactant. These soft aggregates can easily break apart and re-form balancing mixing energy and the reduction in surface energy with clustering or aggregation. Rapid thermal motion of small elemental crystallites leads to dense clusters or primary particles. The larger primary particles have slower thermal motion and aggregate into ramified mass fractals to form a dual-level hierarchical structure. It is proposed that the hierarchical structure relies on subtle and competitive equilibria between the different hierarchical structural levels. A new hierarchical thermodynamics model by Vogtt is used. Pigment yellow 14 and pigment blue 15:3 as surfactant-stabilized aqueous dispersions were employed to explore the thermodynamics of nanoparticle hierarchical equilibria. It was demonstrated that reversible nanoparticle aggregation can be described solely by the change in free energy of dissociation and the change in free energy of mixing in the context of a subunit being removed from a cluster. The hierarchical thermodynamics is dominated by the solubility of the dispersing surfactant. At the cloud point for the surfactant, primary particles approach the size of an elemental particle and the degree of aggregation becomes very large. The results indicate that subtle and reproducible control over pigment hierarchical structure and size is possible through thermal equilibration, manipulation of the surfactant properties, and elemental crystallite size.

Background To analyze the clinical features and prognosis of the visual loss resulted from inhalational methanol poisoning in 8 Chinese patients. Methods Eight consecutive patients seen at the Beijing Tongren Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China between January 2003 to August 2017, with complains of vision loss in both eyes, identified as inhalational methanol poisoning. Detailed medical history was extracted. All patients underwent optic nerve and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, laboratory tests, and visual function analysis. Treatment protocols were large dosage of methylprednisolone and B vitamins over 3 months. Patients were seen at 3-month intervals until a year. Results Eight patients with optic neuropathy caused by inhalation toxicity of methanol were under observation, whose methanol-contact time spans were form 4 days to 5 years for occupational exposure. All the patients had acute onset, transient systemic symptoms on early stage, both eyes involved with severe visual impairment (visual acuity 0.1 or even worse). Retrobulbar optic nerves (ONs) were the major sites involved. Optic nerve MRI scan showed increased signal of bilateral ONs in the orbit and the canal parts, with enhancement. After treatment, the visual function of these patients got improved in different degree in a year follow-up, but not satisfactorily. Conclusions Inhalational methanol toxicity may lead to serious damage to ON in a process of chronic intoxication with acute attack, and with poor prognosis.

We combine mechanical rheometry, diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS), and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) with a simulation model, the "pointer algorithm", to obtain characteristic lengths and time constants for wormlike micelle (WLM) solutions over a range of salt concentrations encompassing the transition from unentangled to entangled solutions. The solutions contain sodium lauryl ethylene glycol sulfate (SLE1S), cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), and NaCl. The pointer algorithm is extended to include relaxation of unentangled micelles, allowing micelle parameters to be extracted from the rheology of partially entangled solutions. DWS provides the data at high frequency needed to determine micelle persistence length accurately. From pointer algorithm fits to rheology, we observe a salt-induced rapid change in micellar length as the solution enters the well-entangled regime and a weaker growth with surfactant concentration consistent with mean-field theory. At a lower surfactant concentration, micelle length and persistence length from SANS are roughly consistent with values from rheology once the lower surfactant concentration used in SANS is accounted for. This is, to our knowledge, the first time that quantitative comparisons of structural features including micelle length are made between rheology and SANS. Finally, scaling laws for micelle diffusion and recombination times indicate that micelle kinetics are reaction controlled leading to mean-field recombination with surrounding micelles over the entire range of concentration of interest except at very low and very high surfactant concentrations where either short micelles or branched micelle clusters are dominant.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) mostly affects obese women in childbearing age, leading to frustrating headache and permanent visual impairment. The exact etiology of this condition is poorly understood, and the population at risk and clinical presentation seems to be homogeneous. However, little attention has been paid to the clinical features of IIH patients with anemia. We herein performed a retrospective observational study by using the data of patients with presumed IIH who were referred to the neurology department of Beijing Tongren Hospital from January 2014 to August 2019 to describe the clinical features and radiological findings in patients with IIH and anemia, and compared these with those without anemia. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of anemic diseases. Clinical data including demographic characteristics, clinical features, past medical history, laboratory and neuroradiological findings, diagnoses, treatments and prognosis of these patients were reviewed and compared in both the groups. A total of 153 patients with IIH were enrolled, which included 22 cases with anemia (mean age, 33.23±9.68 years; 19 [86.36%] female) and 131 cases without anemia (mean age 37.11±11.56 years; 97 [74.05%] female). In the anemia group, 19/22 cases had iron deficiency anemia and 3/22 had renal anemia. Compared with patients in the non-anemia group, IIH patients with anemia had a shorter disease course, and tended to present pulsatile tinnitus and transverse sinus stenosis (TSS), faster and better prognosis after treatments for correcting anemia and reducing intracranial pressure. Our findings highlighted the importance of obtaining full blood counts in IIH patients with subacute onset, and provided appropriate and prompt treatments if proven anemic in order to bring better outcomes.

The authors propose a thermodynamic model to describe hierarchical aggregation. They find that the degree of aggregation, volume, and number fraction at each level determine the change in free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of aggregation/dissociation as well as the particle size distributions at each level. This model enables the discussion of energetics for equilibrated polydisperse hierarchical materials

Dispersion in polymer nanocomposites is determined by the kinetics of mixing and chemical affinity. Compounds like reinforcing filler/elastomer blends display some similarity to colloidal solutions in that the filler particles are close to randomly dispersed through processing. It is attractive to apply a pseudo-thermodynamic approach taking advantage of this analogy between the kinetics of mixing for polymer compounds and thermally driven dispersion for colloids. In order to demonstrate this pseudo-thermodynamic approach, two polybutadienes and one polyisoprene were milled with three carbon blacks and two silicas. These samples were examined using small-angle x-ray scattering as a function of filler concentration to determine a pseudo-second order virial coefficient, A2, which is used as an indicator for compatibility of the filler and polymer. It is found that A2 follows the expected behavior with lower values for smaller primary particles indicating that smaller particles are more difficult to mix. A2 is analogous to the excluded volume and long-range interaction potential for non-equilibrated nanocomposites. The measured values of A2 can be used to specify repulsive interaction potentials for coarse grain DPD simulations of filler/elastomer systems. In addition, new methods to quantify the filler percolation threshold and filler mesh size as a function of filler concentration are obtained. The results represent a new approach to understanding and predicting dispersion in polymer nanocomposites based on a thermodynamic analogy.

The fractal structure of ceramic aggregates has been widely studied in terms of the mass fractal dimension and primary particle size. However, there has not yet been a quantitative description of the branched topology in these structures. In this work, the highly ramified aggregate structure in six commercial grades of hydrophilic fumed silica is investigated. Ultra-small angle X-ray scattering was coupled to a hierarchical scattering model, the unified scattering function, to obtain topological parameters. These generic topological parameters were used to quantify branching and were then compared with simple aggregation simulations. Surprisingly, a single parameter, the sticking probability, can empirically account for complex topological differences in the materials studied. It is found that samples of higher specific surface area display a higher branch fraction. For grades of highest specific surface area, a hyper-branched structure is observed with extensive branch on branch aggregation. This approach can be used to quantify complex morphological differences in ceramic oxide and carbon black aggregates.

Wormlike micelles (WLMs) are nanoscale, self-assembled components of many products from shampoos to fracking fluids due to their viscoelasticity. Their rheological behavior is largely governed by the contour length of the micelles and the concomitant propensity of the micelles to overlap and entangle. The large contour lengths, on the order of micrometers, is the result of a delicate balance between the scission enthalpy of the wormlike micelles on the one hand and entropic factors such as the mixing entropy of dispersion, the ordering of water molecules and counterions, and the mobility of branch points on the other hand. The structure and contour length of wormlike micelles assembled from sodium laureth-1-sulfate was determined at various temperatures using small-angle neutron scattering. The results allow the calculation of the enthalpy and entropy as well as the free energy of scission and are employed to critically evaluate the common methods to determine micellar scission energy from mean-field theory. Interesting behavior is observed when comparing branched and unbranched WLMs that may reflect on mechanistic differences in chain scission.

Worm-like micelles (WLMs) are nano-scale self-assemblies widely used for viscosity enhancement, for drug delivery, and in personal care products. The stability of WLMs under variable ionic and surfactant concentrations is important to applications of these fascinating materials. In this work it is demonstrated that a virial approach can be used to understand and predict WLM stability. A mixed surfactant system consisting of sodium laureth sulfate and cocoamidopropyl betaine was examined using small-angle neutron scattering. A linear relationship between the second virial coefficient, A2, and the salt to surfactant ratio, Θs-s, is derived and demonstrated. The Θs-s-dependent term is described via association/dissociation kinetics of salt ions between the bulk and an ion cloud surrounding the WLMs yielding, , where Keq is the association/dissociation constant, nsurf is the molar surfactant concentration, b is the molar excluded volume, M the WLM molar mass, Θs-s is the salt-surfactant ratio and Θ is the salt-surfactant ratio where the interactions are solely determined by the excluded volume. The ratio b/M2 is independent of WLM contour length. The exponent ϑ is found to be approximately 5/4 in agreement with polymer scaling laws for the semi-dilute regime in good solvents.

Background It is recognized that radiological examination is essential for the diagnosis of Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). The present study demonstrated a rare sign of IIH in optic nerves on MRI images. Methods Review the medical records and MRI images of 82 the patients with IIH referred to our neurology department from January 2017 to December 2018. Inclusion criteria were: 1) accorded with the IIH diagnostic criteria adapted from Friedman et al. [1], 2) abnormal optic nerve signal with enhancement on orbital MRI, 3) no better explanation for the optic nerve involvement. Results 12 patients are enrolled. The age of patients ranged from 16 to 55 years, median age 32.91±14.36 years, two patients were male and ten were female. The CSF opening pressures (OP) of all patients were all above 30 cmH2O. Enhancement of optic nerves sheaths (ONS) in retrobulbar segments were observed in all affected eyes showed on coronal orbital MRI gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced T1WI sequence. Conclusions Enhancement of ONS on MRI is a rare sign of IIH that clinicians should recognize in order to avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment. Keywords: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension, Optic nerves sheaths, Orbital MRI

The free scission energy is the thermodynamic parameter that governs the contour length of wormlike micelles (WLMs). It is the contour length and the propensity to coil and entangle that determine the viscoelastic properties of this commercially important substance class. The free scission energy ΔFsc and the associated change in enthalpy ΔHsc and entropy ΔSsc on scission have been determined for a mixed anionic/zwitterionic surfactant system (sodium laureth sulfate and cocamidopropyl betaine) at various salt concentrations (3–5 wt % NaCl). Both enthalpy ΔHsc and entropy ΔSsc changes decrease linearly with increasing NaCl concentration. At NaCl concentrations above 4 wt %, ΔSsc even adopts negative values. The term TΔSsc decreases more rapidly than ΔHsc around room temperature and causes the observed elongation of WLMs upon addition of NaCl. It is suggested that ΔSsc is initially positive due to fewer bound counterions per surfactant molecule at end caps compared to the intact, cylindrical parts before sc...

Although the preparation of artificial light-harvesting systems (ALHs) has attracted increasing attention, dynamic regulation of antenna effect in ALHs has been still a major challenge. Herein, we constructed a family of new rotaxane dendrimers containing up to fifty-six anthracene moieties (energy donor) on the wheels of the rotaxane units and one zinc(II) porphyrin moiety (energy acceptor) at the central core. Notably, the resultant rotaxane dendrimers incorporates a large number of rotaxane subunits on the dendritic skeleton in a monodisperse manner, which thus allowed for the high energy transfer efficiencies and antenna effects. More importantly, with the addition and removal of acetate anions, the directional and reversible motion of rotaxane unit on each axis was realized, thus leading to dynamic regulation of antenna effect in resultant rotaxane dendrimers.

Stress has a strong impact on the magnetization and magnetostriction of magnetic materials due to the magneto-elastic coupling. It offers a clue to understand the 2–5 times enhancement on the magnetostriction of Fe–Ga alloys with rare-earth elements doping. In this article, the stress states of melt-quenched and melt-spun (Fe0.83Ga0.17)100-xTbx (x = 0–0.47) alloys were measured by high energy X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) technique. The macroscopic residual and microscopic stress of different Tb doped alloys were deduced from the shift and broadening of diffraction peaks and the deviation of the identified 1st Fe–Fe and 2nd Ga–Ga bond length. Rietveld refinement confirmed that the dissolved Tb atoms can replace the Fe/Ga site while small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) showed the presence of Tb-rich nanoscale precipitates. The effect of external stress loading and Tb doping on magnetization and magnetostriction of the modified Fe–Ga alloys was compared and discussed. We propose that the magnetization and magnetostriction of Fe–Ga alloys can be controlled through stress engineering by manipulating the magnetic domain structure through chemical doping or mechanical loading.

OBJECTIVE To assess quality of life (QoL) measures in Chinese Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) patients with the G11778A mutation. METHODS Chinese LHON patients with the G11778A mutation were prospectively evaluated using the Visual Function Index (VF-14) at 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years after the involvement of the second eye. Patients who completed the VF-14 at all 3 follow-up time designations were included in the analysis. RESULTS Fifty-five patients met the inclusion criteria. The median age of patients when their vision was bilaterally affected was 16.3 years old (interquartile range: 13.9-18.3 years). In our patient cohort, 89.1% (n = 49) were male, and the ratio of males to females was 8.2:1. The median logMAR visual acuity was 2.0 (interquartile range: 1.0-2.6). The mean VF-14 scores of patients with LHON at 6-month, 1-year, and 3-year follow-ups were 18.0 ± 19.2 (range 0-85.4), 19.9 ± 20.0 (range 0-85.4), and 20.7 ± 20.2 (range 0-85.4), and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001). VF-14 score at 6 months was significantly correlated with visual acuity of the better eye (P < 0.001) but not with age of onset (P = 0.43). Overall, the QoL improvement was significantly correlated with age of onset (P = 0.006) but not with visual acuity of the better eye (P = 0.134). Several abilities were significantly improved at the 1-year follow-up compared with the 6-month follow-up, including seeing steps, curbs, or stairs (P < 0.01), doing handiwork (P < 0.05), playing sports (P < 0.05), cooking (P < 0.01), and watching television (P < 0.05). When these scores were further compared between 1- and 3-year follow-ups, only scores for cooking (P < 0.05) and watching television (P < 0.05) were higher at the 3-year follow-up than that at the 1-year follow-up. No changes were found during the follow-up for reading small print, reading a newspaper or book, or reading signs. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that although most of our Chinese LHON patients with the G11778A mutation had permanent central visual loss, visual-related quality of life improved over time, especially in younger patients.

Wormlike or threadlike structures with local cylindrical geometry are abundantly found in nature and technical products. A thorough structural characterization in the bulk for a whole ensemble, however, is difficult. The inherent semiordered nature of the tortuous large-scale structure and especially the quantification of branching renders an assessment difficult. In the present work we introduce a hybrid function expressing the scattering intensities for X-rays, neutrons, or light in the small-angle regime for this system. The function is termed "hybrid" because it employs terms from different approaches. The large-scale structure is described via a Guinier term as well as a concomitant power-law expression in momentum transfer q taken from the so-called unified function. The local cylindrical shape, however, is taken into account through a form factor for cylinders from rigid-body modeling. In principle, the latter form factor can be replaced by an expression for any other regular body so that the new hybrid function is a versatile tool for studying hierarchical structures assembled from uniform subunits. The appropriateness and capability of the new function for cylindrical structures is exemplified using the example of a wormlike micellar system.

Background The neurological outcome and predictive factors of idiopathic optic neuritis (ION) in China are largely unknown. Objective The aim of this paper is to study the neurological outcome of Chinese ION and to investigate the early predictors for multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). Method Retrospective medical record review and supplementary follow-up of 107 ION patients was performed. Statistical analysis of the baseline characteristics as risk factors for ION patients converting into MS or NMOSD was performed. Results With an average disease course of 9.5 years, 19 of the 107 (17.7%) ION patients developed either MS (9, 8.4%) or NMOSD (10, 9.3%). The estimated 5-year and 10-year combined accumulative risk rates were 14.1% and 26.0%, respectively. Significantly higher estimated accumulative conversion risk was found in female versus male ( P = 0.047), adult versus children ( P = 0.032), patients with brain MRI lesions versus patients without leasions ( P = 0.026), patients with CSF positive oligoclonal bands and/or elevated IgG index versus without ( P = 0.003) and patients with poor visual recovery versus patients with good recovery ( P = 0.007). Furthermore, brain white matter lesions and good visual recovery were statistically more common typically in MS converters compared with the NMOSD converters ( P = 0.01 and P = 0.006, respectively). Conclusion The combined conversion rate for ION to MS/NMO in Chinese population was lower than the reported rate for Western countries. In addition to some previously reported high risk factors, white matter lesions on the brain MRI at baseline and good visual recovery were found to be good predictors for Chinese ION converting into MS whereas poor visual recovery with a normal brain MRI suggested a higher likelihood of the ION converting into NMOSD.

The behavior/properties of micellar solutions are governed by Coulombic interactions that are influenced by the polarity of the surfactant head groups, hydrophobic tails, and solvent molecules. The addition of co-solvent should have a direct impact on solvent polarity and the size of the micelles are expected to decrease accordingly.In this study, a mixed surfactant system is studied composed of a common anionic surfactant, sodium laureth sulfate-1, modified by a zwitterionic surfactant, cocamidopropyl betaine in deuterated water. In this system, worm-like micelles (WLMs) are formed. The influence of a co-solvent, dipropylene glycol (DPG) in the present of high salt content, is investigated. DPG primarily modifies the dielectric constant of the solvent.It was found that the addition of DPG slightly decreased the micelle radius, but dramatically reduced the persistence length as well as the contour length of the micelles. The relative dependence of contour length on salt concentration is not significantly changed. Thus, it is shown that the self-assembled structure can be tuned by adjusting solvent polarity without affecting the relative tunability of the WLM/ellipsoidal structure through counter ion concentration.

This article presents an approach of simplifying machine tool commissioning processes with web based component data. As commissioning and error compensation processes of machines often require extensive manual labor and repetitive tasks, they present great potential for further digitalization. Therefore, a systematic approach for generating and implementing a digitalization concept is applied. As a result, a commissioning device accessing web based component data is implemented. The device uses geometric errors of individual components in a machine tool and generates compensation values for the control of the machine's axes.

To report the clinical characteristics, neuto-imaging and prognosis of cavernous hemangioma of the optic chiasm.Retrospective data analysis was conducted in 8 patients from Beijing Tongren Hospital and Beijing Tiantan Hospital. Patients' clinical characteristics, neuroimaging and prognosis were assessed.There were eight patients aging from 16-58 years old including 3 females and 5 males. The median age was 39.5 years. From the time of onset to diagnosis, the shortest time was 25 days and the longest was 2 years and 4 months. Clinical characteristics of 8 cases were analyzed. Among 8 cases, 3 patients had acute course, 3 patient had chronic course with acute exacerbation and 2 patients had chronic course. All patients presented with decreased visual acuity and/or visual field defect and 3 cases had headache. The most common initial manifestation was decreased visual acuity and/or visual field defect (4 cases). Only 4 cases were diagnosed cavernous hemangioma of the optic chiasm before surgery. The hemangioma was total resected in 6 patients and other two got partly removed. Visual function was improved in 4 cases after surgery. MRI showed mixed signal.All patients presented decreased visual acuity and/or visual field defect, often accompanied with headache. It can be misdiagnosed at early stage. MRI may be helpful to the diagnosis. Complete resection at early stage may improve the visual function.

Background Typical and atypical optic neuritis (ON) are two clinical types of autoimmune inflammatory diseases of the optic nerve that causes acute vision loss, and are difficult to distinguish in their early stages. The disturbance in the balance of Th17 and Treg lymphocytes is thought to play an essential role in these autoimmune inflammatory diseases. Objectives To detect the clinical relevance of Th17 and Treg in peripheral blood and the ratio of Treg/Th17 in patients with typical and atypical ON. To determine whether analysis of Th17 and Treg lymphocytes will provides insights into the different disease phenotypes of typical and atypical ON. Methods We studied a consecutive series of patients aged 14–70 years who presented to our neurological department with typical ON (n = 30) or atypical ON (n = 33) within 4 weeks of their acute attacks. Routine clinical tests and ophthalmological examination were performed in all patients. Blood samples were collected from untreated patients and from gender- and age-matched healthy controls (n = 30). The proportion of peripheral blood Th17 cells and Treg cells was determined by flow cytometry. Results Patients with atypical ON had a higher proportion of Th17 cells than patients with typical ON (3.61±1.56 vs 2.55±1.74, P0.05). Conclusions The frequency of Th17 cells is higher in atypical ON than typical ON, and patients with atypical ON have a greater imbalance of pro-inflammatory and regulatory cells than patients with typical ON when compared with controls. These changes are indicative of distinct pathological mechanisms and may provide useful information to distinguish typical and atypical ON.

N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor plays a crucial role in learning, memory and information processing of human brain. Its dysfunction is related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We detected four polymorphisms of the promoter regions of the human NMDA receptor 2B (NR2B) subunit gene (GRIN2B) in 362 AD patients and 334 healthy in North Han Chinese populations, these were -200T/G (rs1019385), -421C/A (rs3764028), -1447T/C (ENS10557853), and -1497G/A (rs12368476). Genetic analysis confirmed that there were significant differences in genotype (P=0.029) and allele (P=0.010) frequencies for -421C/A between SAD and control. In the subjects without APOE varepsilon4 allele, these difference remained significant (genotype P=0.012, allele P=0.004). The -421CC genotype was about 1.5 fold increasing risk compared with CA+AA genotypes (OR=1.517, 95% CI 1.077-2.137, P=0.017). Luciferase reporter assay showed a 34.69-39.79% decrease in transcriptional activity for -421C allele of GRIN2B promoter compared with -421A in SH-SY5Y and HeLa cell lines. Our study suggests that the -421C allele may induce lower GRIN2B transcriptional activity and NR2B protein expression, thus it is associated with AD.